$100K donation benefits engineering camp

Harris Corp., RF Communications Division, recently donated $100,000 to RIT to create an endowment to provide annual scholarships for economically disadvantaged girls to attend the Everyday Engineering Summer Camp. The camp is coordinated by the Women in Engineering program, WE@RIT, in RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

WE@RIT is a multi-faceted program to support women currently enrolled in engineering programs at RIT and to encourage girls in grades four through 12 to consider engineering as a career option through programs like the Everyday Engineering Summer Camp. During the weeklong, non-residential camp, participants are mentored by RIT students while faculty in the college serve as camp instructors. Each year, more than 2,000 young women have attended some facet of the nearly 20 different pre-engineering programs WE@RIT offers.

“The Kate Gleason College is extremely fortunate to have such a strong partner as Harris RF to help support its on-going efforts to enhance gender diversity in the engineering professions,” says Harvey Palmer, dean of the college. “This latest gift from Harris RF will assure that financial hardship will no longer be an impediment for young women to access these programs.”